Google Changes the Rules Halfway Through the Game
Google has an absurd amount of control over thousands of small businesses and isn’t afraid to wield that power like a Greek god. Just take a look at how they’ve handled paid link exchanges.
While you can certainly debate the value of certain SEO practices like paid link exchanges to end-users, you can’t argue that they weren’t allowed. Unfortunately, Google has a tendency to change the rules halfway through the game by suddenly punishing SEO’s for practices that were tolerated just days earlier.
Sure they telegraph their moves sometimes but that’s cold comfort to anyone who’s spent thousands of dollars on paid link exchanges.